Tucked snugly amid Singapore Dakota Crescent's HDB blocks, the Dove playground is one of the few nostalgic playgrounds left in Singapore. Though it has aged with time, it is still well-preserved with rubber tyre swings and a slide sitting on a sand pit.

The old estate may be an oasis of calm but the occasional laughter can be heard from one of the last heritage playgrounds. The Dove playground periodically attracts the millennial Singaporean keen to reminisce the childhood of the rubber tyre swing and sand pit.

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. Your memory lane. Playgrounds had a bigger role in Singapore’s past than most people might think. Think back to when you were a small child, perhaps still in preschool or on the cusp of your first year in primary school. Was there a playground involved? Did you like going to playgrounds? How many playgrounds have you been to? Do you still visit playgrounds?

Today, while playgrounds are still widely visited by children of many ages, most of them have lost the façade of local design due to being upgraded. The playgrounds of today are much safer than the playgrounds of the past, but many are unhappy with how local design is hardly reflected in the newer playgrounds. So, both the playgrounds of yesterday and today do have their pros and cons, but how can one appreciate the past and present?

One thing I have noticed out and about in Fremantle is a predominant graffiti culture. It’s not really mentioned in any guidebooks but round every corner or down every dingey alleyway is an artwork waiting to be uncovered. I know graffiti can often be divisive, but I personally love it, especially when its done well. I’m not a fan of tagging – where’s the talent in writing your name on a wall? But lots of the graffiti in Fremantle (Freo) is intelligent, can be tinged with a bit of a political message or is just really aesthetically pleasing. I at least am of the opinion that they are art and not vandalism, as long as it's designated (the owner of the building is okay with it), it's not offensive and it clearly has had some thought gone into it.

One of Fremantle’s most iconic buildings, Woolstores, had undergone an artistic transformation. The heritage-listed 1927 building was designed with a series of colorbond panels which have been installed around the building, covering the many broken windows that the building has been known for. A team of local Perth street artists took part in painting murals along the doorways and over the boarded window areas along the ground level of the building.

The works can be seen anytime on the outside of the Woolstores building, which is on Cantonment Street in Fremantle.

No trip to a Japanese city would be complete without delving into exciting history and culture of the area. Here, again, Osaka has so much to offer. ​Osaka Castle is the symbol of Osaka in Japan, which has been handed down through the dramas in history to the present day. The castle has been destroyed and reconstructed many times over the years, by conflicts, wars and natural disasters. There are also many good cherry blossom viewing spots at Osaka and Osaka Castle is one of them. It’s quite a far walk from the nearest train stations but if you don’t mind it, it’s rather worth the efforts to view the beautiful flowers against the famous landmark of Osaka city. It’s also a popular spot for ‘blossom viewing 花见’ where families and friends will come together to have a BBQ and picnic under the sakura trees while enjoying the short-lived beauty of the flowers.

Railway systems in Japan have earned good international reputations. People from all over the world are always very impressed and amazed at their bullet trains and the fact that their trains always arrive on time.

But in this blog post, I'll introduce the old and nostalgic tram which you might have not imagined them still running in Japan. Here is a tram called Hankai Tramway (坂堺电车) which runs from Osaka city (大阪市) to Sakai city (堺市).​There is something very nostalgic about riding the trams of Osaka. Transporting you with their classic storybook ‘gatan goton’ rhythms, they can take you to places that allow for a glimpse of quaint, older neighborhoods and a slower way of life in this city. Nicknamed chinchin densha (ding ding train), the Hankai trams have been a part of Osaka for over 100 years. Hankai Tramway was opened in 1900. There used to have trams all over in Japan. However there are only 20 of them left now. There is a tram made in 1928 which still run on this line. Do you want to take a ride on the oldest trams in Japan? I did.